Shoe-button.



No. 874,314. PATENTED DB6. 17, 1907.

E. s. ELLIS.

SHOE BUTTON. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1907.

cal transverse section on line 3, 3, Fig. 1,

5O leather without being hemmed and equal in UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD s. ELLIS, or UPPER MoN'rcLArR, new JERSEY.

SHOE-BUTTON.

No. 874,314. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed. Tune 21. 1307- Serial lio- 880,036.

To all whom at may concern: For attaching the button to' the overlap- Be. it known that I, EDWARD S'. ELLIs, a ping part a of the shoe, the lower loopcitizen of the United States, residing in Up shaped. portion (1 is pushed through the s it per Montclair, in the county of Essex and a in the overlapping portion of the shoe, State of New Jersey, have invented certain after which the button is turned for an angle new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Butof90, so that its loop-portion is at right tons, of which the following is a specification. l angles, or approximately so, to the slit, This invention relates to certain improvewhereby the button is held immovably in ments in shoe-buttons by which the shoe can position. The head of the button may be 0 be'iastened without sewing on the buttons provided with some indicating mark so as to i and which can be readily shifted on the upindicate when it is properly placed and loper so as to preserve the fit of the shoe and catedin position. avoid gaps, herebythe shoe looks neat as The underlapping portion 1) is provided long as it can be worn; and for this purpose with a double row of small slits b, whichare .5 the invention consists of a shoe-button comarranged parallel to the edge of the underposed of a button-head provided with a lapping portion. In place of two rows, shank, aloop-portion at the lower end of said three rows of slits may be arranged, if deshank applied to the overlapping flap of the sired. Into a slit 1), nearest the'edge of the shoe, and a catch of s shape, iormed of flat underlapping portion of the shoethe lower 20 metal, the lower part of which is inserted longer arm of a catch or fastener is inserted, into a slit in the underlapping part of the said catch being made of fiat steel approxishoe, several parallel slits being arranged in mately in the shape of the letter S,which is the underlapping part of the shoe so as to flattened or depressed at the'lower and upper permit the shifting of the catch into the next ends. The shorter arm projects when the 25 slit for tightening the shoe; and the invenlonger arm is inserted into one of the slits, tion consists further of certain details of conin opposite direction and permits the engagestruction which will be fully described, herement with the loop-shaped portion 0 the inafter and finally pointed out in the claims. button when the latter is drawn over the In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shorter arm of the catch 6 and hooked on the 30 represents a shoe rovided with my imsame. Y proved buttons ai1(i shown, iully buttoned, When the shoe becomes worn and loose- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a shoe showing fitting the lower, longer arm of the catcn e the two lowermost buttons closed and the maybe shifted into the second slit back of it 'upper part of the shoe open, Fig. 3 is a vertiso as'to tighten the shoe at that point.

' When it is desired to close the button, a

suitable hook-shaped fastener or button hook is placed over the head of the button, with the finger resting against the side of the foot, the loop-shaped portion of the button brought over the u per arm of the catch-so as to interlock with 'the same as shown in drawi on a larger scale, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the button, Fig. 5 a side view of the same, and Fig. 6 a perspective view ofthe catch or fastener by which the button is 40 fastened for closing the shoe.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

Reierringto the drawings, (1 represents the 45 overlapping and b the underlapping part of a button shoe. The overlapping part of the' shoe is provided with a row of slits 0, arranged at right angles to the edge of the over- ..lapping part, said slits being cut through the 1 en it is desired to unbutton theshoe, the wearertakes hold of the buttonand gives it a slight turn. This slips the lower or 100 portion ofi the catch while still holding t 1e button in the slit of the overlapping portion a of the shoe. I i

4' The advantages of my improved sho ebutt'on" are, first, that no sewing on of the length with the lower, loop-shaped portion buttons is necessary, second, that-a button (1 of the. button (1', said loop-shaped portion can never lose its gri or-come oii; third, being located at the lower end of the shankthat the catch for the utton can be shifted of the button, as show clearly in Figs. 4 from one to the other slit inthe underlapping 55 and 5. a portion the shoe, so that the shoe can be said last-named slits and a shorter backwardly-bent portion adapted to. interlck with the lower loop-shaped portions of the buttons. I

2. The combination of the overla ping portion of a shoe provided with a row 0? slits near the edge, buttons inserted in said slits and provided with shanks and loo -shaped made to fit after it has been worn for some time, thus dis ensing with the necessity of removing the uttons and sewing them on again at a short distance from tho original same, so that the slit does not become adu-' ally enlarged, unsightly or torn an mar thereby the beauty of the shoe, as in buttonshoesheretofore in'use; and, fifth, that the appearance of the shoe is not changed by wear, but preserved, the shoe always looking smooth, neat and trim as long as Worn.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as n w and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination, the overlapping assed through said slits, withthe under- .app'ing portion of the shoe provided with and having longer lower portions and shorter upper portions, the latter being ada ted to interlock-with the loop-portion of t e buttons. I

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

v EDWARD .S. ELLIS.

near its edge, of buttons provided with shanks and loopsha ped portions at the lower ends of said shanks passed through said slits, the lower underlap ing portion of the shoe being rovided" w1t one or more rows of slits, amFS-shaped catches provided .with a lower longer portion inserted into Witnesses:

ALfGER JENKINS, ERNEST M. MARSHALL.

portions at the lowerends of sai shanks 

